FIG. 16 is an enlarged sectional view of a conventional optical element package.
This conventional optical element package 200 includes a ceramic package 204 in which leads 202 are brazed to laminated ceramics. An optical element 208 is fixed on a mounting portion 206 of the ceramic package 204 by a die bond material 210. Electrodes 212 of the optical element 208 and electrodes 214 of the ceramic package 204 are electrically connected by wire bonding. Over the optical element 208, a lid material (optical glass) 218 is disposed. The lid material 218 is fixed to a step 216 at the recessed edge of the ceramic package 204 by low melting point glass 220, and seals the cavity of the ceramic package 204.
Thus conventionally the optical element 208 is laminated on the ceramic package 204, and the electrodes are wire bonded together, for which reason the area of the optical element package 200 is inevitably larger than the optically active area after packaging, resulting in a limit to the increase of mounting density.
The ceramic package 204 has a high cost of materials, and also since the manufacturing procedure is complicated, the costs are further increased.